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Dallas Cowboys long snapper L.P. LaDouceur (91) makes a face as he leaves the stadium after the Dallas Cowboys lost to the Washington Redskins 20-17 on Sunday, October 21, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)

LANDOVER, Md. -- In his 14th season, in the 212th game of his career, Cowboys long snapper L.P. Ladouceur said he handled the snap on a game-tying field goal attempt with three seconds remaining the same as he always has.

But on this Sunday at FedEx Field, officials penalized him for a controversial snap infraction.

The five-yard false start penalty backed the kick up to a 52-yard attempt, which kicker Brett Maher missed, hitting the ball off the left upright. Maher had made 16 straight attempts, including a 55-yarder the previous week and a 47-yard kick earlier Sunday.

"They told me I was the one responsible for the false start and I did the same exact thing I usually do," Ladouceur, who is rarely in demand after games, told the mass of media around him in the locker room. "I did the exact same thing, the guy just jumped."

Ladouceur said he believes he's allowed to adjust the ball as long as it remains on the ground. He said he did adjust it in this instance.

"I just adjust it down so I can put my hands on the bottom of it so I can snap it in the right direction," he said. "Exact same thing I've been doing for 14 years."

Rare crowd around L.P. Ladouceur after snap infraction backed up game-tying FG try: They told me I was the 1 responsible for the false start & I did the exact same thing I usually do. ...Position it the right way. I'm not even trying to get them offsides. Never had that before.

The NFL Rule Book regarding snaps under Rule 7, says "it must be one quick and continuous motion of the hand or hands of the snapper. The ball must leave or be taken from his hands during this motion."

Ladouceur said he was not attempting to draw Washington offside.

Veteran Cowboys defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford said he was upset about that and other calls Sunday as Dallas racked up eight penalties.

"I didn't think it was called fairly today," Crawford said. "At all."

Tony Dungy, the retired NFL coach and NBC commentator, tweeted that the penalty "was horrible. The snapper followed the same routine and did nothing to draw the Redskins offside. We looked at it over and over."

The false start-illegal snap penalty called on the Cowboys long snapper that moved the kick back to 52 yds was horrible. The snapper followed the same routine & did nothing to draw the Redakins offside. We looked at it over & over and I don’t see how they could have called that.

Maher insisted that the penalty did not cause him to miss the kick, despite making one from 47 yards, the original distance, earlier in the game.

"That penalty had zero impact on the result," he said. "I felt like I was very capable of making that kick, I just didn't get it done. ...

"I felt like I just pulled it a little bit, maybe the wind caught it a little on the way down. Hit the upright and that was the end."

Said Redskins running back Adrian Peterson: "So, the penalty came from a false start. ...You push it back five yards and it's like, he's going to miss it. I remember saying to a few guys, 'He's about to miss this kick.'"

Ladouceur, known for his quiet consistency, is the longest-serving player on the roster.

"It sucks," he said. "Should've been in overtime. We're going home."

LP on Maher: We went from a 47 to a 52. That's his range. It wasn't my intention to pull them offsides. I was just trying to go out there and make a game-tying kick. ...It sucks. Should've been in overtime. We're going home.